10 Key Components of Crisis Communication

When things go wrong, politicians and people tend to duck and cover. But that does not lead us to the progress we need; and that is not inline with the honor and humility we should expect from our leadership, or even our friends for that matter.

Screenshot via Pinterest.com, "Time Bomb Deals"

Not all of our politicians operate with the highest level of integrity that we expect of them. Maybe even fewer than we think. In cases where the public is involved, such as with governance, we need to exercise the Tenets of the Centrist Party as dutifully as possible while including consideration of intelligence security.

The biggest mistake you can make with a crisis is not to expect one to happen in the first place.

Here are 10 elements that should be common to any crisis communication plan:

Transparency: Make information and documentation available as much as possible.

Accountability: Leadership "owns" the problem, apologies are made, and person/s responsible are disciplined.

Immediacy: There is very little pause between incoming questions and outgoing answers.

Rationality: There is no handwringing or drama but rather an objective provision of information.

Neutrality: Absence of ideological or other bias - only the truth matters.

Objective Third Party: Someone with no stake in the game is empowered to investigate and bring findings.

Accessibility: Firsthand witnesses and participants are made available to answer questions.

Legality: An attorney explains to the public what they have a right to know and what information may not be shared.

Interactivity: Genuine back-and-forthing between the institution and the inquiring minds who want to know.

Positivity: Negative situations are also teachable moments - therefore emphasize progress and the way forward.